Cape Cod Nights: Historic Bars, Clubs & Drinks

By Christopher Setterlund

A guide to the historic places, music and drinks that contribute to the charm of Cape Cod’s nightlife.

The Cape has been home to hundreds of popular nightclubs and watering holes over the past hundred years, featuring such timeless drinks as the Cape Codder and the Sea Breeze. From orchestras to digital playlists, the clubs have evolved with the times. While many famous locales, such as Johnny Yee’s and the Compass Lounge, have been shuttered, other classics like the Beachcomber, the Atlantic House and the Melody Tent remain, serving up a unique blend of entertainment and spirits for tourists and locals alike. Join local author Christopher Setterlund as he takes a look back at some of the places, music and drinks that have made Cape Cod nightlife sparkle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Nov 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781439667040

Christopher Setterlund

My name is Christopher Setterlund and I was born and raised on Cape Cod. Being the oldest of five siblings, and coming from a large family mixed of many different nationalities, I enjoyed hearing the stories my elder relatives would tell. I was a born storyteller from the time I was eight years old and writing tales of adventures that my friends and I would take. As time went on my passion changed to film and producing, even going to college with the intention of becoming a film director. Still, throughout all of my time making my own home movies with my friends it was the stories that I enjoyed creating the most. Nothing is better for me than creating your own world or characters and bringing them to life.After losing interest in directing I spent much of my twenties writing poetry that described my world and emotions surrounding it, it was quite a growing experience to be able to open my heart but also do it in a concise and interesting way. Eventually I wanted to try my hand at taking the chains off of my mind and creating a full-length story complete with many interesting characters and a great plot. Second Coming was that story and since then I have never looked back.My biggest hope for all of you that choose to read my books is that you will be able to lose yourself in the world I create; sights, sounds, and emotions. Much the same as I did with my poetry I do not limit myself in one specific genre of writing; I want my words to reach as many people as possible and realize that different people like different types of stories. I believe that there is something for everyone in my collection, and if there is not keep checking back because I have many more books to come in the coming months and years. Thank you for taking a chance on my books, you will not be disappointed.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION AND

CAPE COD’S OLDEST TAVERN

We all have to work somewhere, somehow, to make it in the world. Many of us work long hours, possibly filled with stress from the job. When those long days are done, people need to find ways to unwind and recover. For centuries, there have been many popular ways that the workforce chose to fill those hours away from work.

Barrooms, saloons, pubs, taverns or bars—whatever they may be called, places to unwind after a tough day at work or to meet up with one’s mates—have been a staple of life in America since its inception in the fifteenth century. The oldest tavern in the country, White Horse Tavern, located in Newport, Rhode Island, was opened in 1673.

The oldest tavern on Cape Cod was located on Great Island in present-day Wellfleet. Owned by Samuel Smith, the tavern operated during the period approximately between 1690 and 1740. The tavern became a popular spot for fishermen pursuing their catches of whales, oysters or other sea life. In the days when Great Island was not a peninsula, whalers would row their way over and enjoy drinks such as a toddy (made with bourbon, honey and fresh lemon juice) or a flip (beer, rum and sugar). The tavern site had been lost to history for more than two centuries, becoming more of a legend among the hills of Great Island. In 1969, the site was rediscovered and excavated, with many exciting artifacts being found and moved to the Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham. Today, one can visit the site and see the remains of its stone foundation.

However, places to unwind after dark have not been limited to bars. Nightclubs, discos, juke joints, honky-tonks, social halls and more have been terms used for a place to include some dancing with your drinks. Their roots trace back to 1886, when Webster Hall in Manhattan opened and was referred to as a social club.

On Cape Cod, nightlife has grown and evolved over the years. It has gone from the days before electricity, when whiskey and bourbon were slung, to today’s modern mixed drinks. It has gone from moving-picture shows and barn dances to happy hours and DJs. It has gone from many clubs having in-house orchestras to most establishments having some sort of digital music platform. There was a peak, a golden age, which will be referenced many times in the pages to come. From the late 1960s through the mid-1980s, the nightlife on Cape Cod brought people from Boston to New York City and all over New England. It was a time looked back on fondly, the likes of which will probably never be seen again.

Times have changed significantly; however, the one thing that has stayed the same is the desire to have fun. Americans on the whole work too much: a 2016 Bureau of Labor study showed that adults aged twenty-five to fifty-four worked an average of 42.8 hours per week. Today as much as ever, people need a break from the daily grind. A favorite bar or nightclub can provide such a stress release.

In the pages ahead we will look back into Cape Cod history to share the stories of some of the most legendary nightlife locations to have ever graced the shores of this peninsula. Some still exist to this day, some have been replaced by others in the same location and others have been lost to history. Put on your favorite vinyl album, eight-track, cassette tape, CD, mp3 or streamed playlist, kick your feet up with a favorite drink or mix one from the forthcoming pages and enjoy the historic nightlife of Cape Cod.

1.

ATLANTIC HOUSE

4/6 MASONIC PLACE, PROVINCETOWN 1798–PRESENT

There are very few places on Cape Cod that are considered both historic and contemporary. The Atlantic House, or A-House, is one of those rarities. After more than two centuries in operation, it is still going strong, despite undergoing changes along the way to keep up with the times.

Before being christened the Atlantic House in 1871, the building on Masonic Place in Provincetown had already lived a pair of lives in history. The first incarnation of the building was Pease’s Tavern, constructed by Edgartown resident Daniel Pease in 1798. Pease would gain notoriety when he was named Provincetown’s first postmaster on January 1, 1801. The tavern would be run under his watchful eye for more than three decades before his death in 1834 from cholera while traveling on a ship from New York.

After Pease’s death, his tavern would be purchased by Benjamin Allstrum and fittingly renamed the Allstrum House. Allstrum had made money selling supplies to ships and also in real estate, and he was looking for new investment opportunities. In the nearly forty years that he owned it, the building would see time as a courthouse and the last stop of the stagecoach connecting Orleans and Provincetown. With the availability of railroad travel, the stagecoach became less relevant, and Allstrum would sell the building to a young Portuguese sailor named Frank Potter Smith in late 1871. Allstrum died in 1874 at age forty-nine. Smith, however, would change the course of the building forever.

The present-day Atlantic House. Courtesy of Salvador R. Vasques III Collection, Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum Collection.

It was Smith who changed the building’s name to the Atlantic House, beginning the tradition that continues to this day. He ran the building as a clean and welcoming tavern, restaurant and hotel, attracting visitors and locals alike. It prided itself on being a place where visitors could get meals at all hours. Smith would regale visitors with his tales of the sea, only adding to his genial manner and big-hearted hospitality. He held on to the reins of the Atlantic House for forty-five years until selling it to the Iris family, specifically Ira G. Iris, in September 1916 and retiring.

Iris oversaw some of the Atlantic House’s most formidable years. In 1917 and 1918, famed playwright Eugene O’Neill stayed at the hostel, and there is even a plaque commemorating that he wrote his plays Ile, Moon of the Caribbees, The Long Voyage Home and In the Zone while staying there. Iris also gave Atlantic House the distinction of being home to America’s very last town crier, Walter Smith, who worked for the establishment until shortly before his death in 1932.

As the Great Depression gripped the country, the already iconic Atlantic House continued to find new ways to bring in locals and visitors. If one did not like the dollar chicken or lobster dinners, perhaps they’d enjoy staying in one of the thirty-five rooms. However, Iris upped the game by adding cabaret shows to their spectacular parties and spacious dance floor. This would lead to an expansion of the building, a revamping of the dining area and, most ambitious, the renovation of the nearby Small House to become the Atlantic House Tourist Home in 1938. It all nearly came crashing down though. In April 1939, a defective oil stove exploded soon after being lit, causing a fire that resulted in $15,000 worth of damage ($272,000 in 2018). Repairs were quick, and in less than three weeks the legendary nightspot was back in business.

In 1949, Atlantic House changed hands again as Reggie Cabral took over along with his brother-in-law Frank Hurst. It was at this point in time that the decor and entertainment aspects of the business became the focal points. The Cabaret Room hosted summertime revues starring impresario Julius Monk and costarring Imogene Coca. The 1950s saw Eartha Kitt, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald among others perform there. There was also the night that jazz singer Stella Brooks performed a song with impromptu lyrics written on the spot by Tennessee Williams. The Big Room, born in 1960, would soon house more amazing jazz performance from legends such as Miles Davis.

It was in the 1970s that Cabral and the Atlantic House made it a point to appeal to the growing gay community in Provincetown. Though it had been gay-friendly since the 1950s, beginning in 1976, the upstairs Carriage Room was renamed the Macho Room, the Tap Room became the Little Bar (perfect for locals) and the jazzy Big Room became the Dance Club. As the twentieth century ended, the Atlantic House had truly become a perfect mix of the two sides of Provincetown’s history coin: the fishing village and the gay-friendly small town.

Today, the Cabral family is still running the Atlantic House, which celebrated its 230th year in existence in 2018 with Reggie’s daughter April Cabral-Pitzner heading the ship. It maintains the rustic nautical feel of the original 1798 Pease’s Tavern while keeping a foot in the present with state-of-the-art lighting and sound. Now mainly referred to as the A-House, this iconic nightspot shows no signs of falling behind the times. With a great atmosphere, loyal clientele, tremendous location and tremendous ownership, it seems clear the A-House will be around at the turn of the next century, as well.

A visitor to the Atlantic House during the jazzy heyday of the 1950s may have enjoyed a popular mixed concoction called a Sea Breeze.

Sea Breeze

1½ ounces vodka

4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

1½ ounces cranberry juice

1 lime wedge

Preparation: Pour everything into a highball glass, stir and decorate with a lime wedge. For a foamy finish, shake in cocktail mixer.

2.

BEACHCOMBER

1120 CAHOON HOLLOW ROAD,WELLFLEET 1953–PRESENT

Cape Cod is home to 559.6 miles of coastline. Much of that is pristine beach used by residents and visitors alike. It is also home to hundreds of restaurants and bars. There are a good number of waterfront establishments. But few, if any, have combined the beautiful scenery of the beach with a quality and unique atmosphere as has the Beachcomber in Wellfleet.

The story of the Beachcomber as an establishment goes back more than sixty years and is still going strong today. The history of the building that houses the Beachcomber goes back even farther. The Beachcomber’s home was originally a lifesaving station located at Cahoon Hollow Beach. It was one of nine such stations built along the Outer Cape in 1897 due to the unfortunate frequency of shipwrecks in the area. The other stations were built at Race Point in Provincetown; Highlands, Peaked Hill Bars and Pamet in Truro; Nauset in Eastham; Orleans; and Chatham and Monomoy in Chatham.

In July 1946, three of the stations, including the station at Cahoon Hollow, were deactivated. The station remained unoccupied for seven years until it gained a second life far from its original purpose. In 1953, Russell Gallagher, who had summered in Wellfleet and Cahoon Hollow Beach as a child, along with his wife, Ruth, purchased the vacant building and rechristened it the Wellfleet Beachcomber’s Club. In keeping with the name of the new establishment, Gallagher filled one of the rooms of the building with items procured from the sands below through actual beachcombing. In 1955, Gallagher also took a job working for Ocean Spray, a career that would last twenty-three years.

An aerial